Nestled just footsteps from Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament is St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel. It’s home to a Michelin‑starred restaurant and a secret Victorian courtyard that boasts the world’s longest Shakespearean-inspired frieze and features green‑glazed arches and a cherub‑topped fountain. Little wonder, then, that this historic London hotel has welcomed a roll call of guests over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles, Nelson Mandela and Diana Ross.
This July, the 120-year-old hotel is being transformed into an intimate stage for Theatre of Magic—a TripAdvisor award-winning magic show featuring you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it illusions, craft cocktails and elite magicians. Ranked among the top 10% of experiences worldwide and founded by Australia’s celebrity magician Christopher Wayne, this immersive experience is the perfect night out for the whole family.
St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel in London: a hidden gem just footsteps from Big Ben
Back in the early 18th century, this spot was earmarked as a charitable school for underprivileged children. Fast‑forward to 1897, when Major Charles Pawley stepped in, commissioned eight red‑brick townhouses around a courtyard and, by 1903, had turned the whole place into a fully fledged hotel.
Thanks to several renovations and maintenance jobs, the townhouses stand tall today, overlooking the fairytale-like courtyard featuring a grand Victorian fountain adorned with tiny cherubs. The world’s longest Shakespearean frieze surrounds the courtyard, depicting characters from Shakespearean plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It.
In summer, the courtyard comes to life, with guests sipping cocktails and lingering over afternoon tea beneath red‑brick turrets, green‑tiled arches and balconies, while Shakespearean figures gaze down from the frieze above.
The hotel is home to several top-rated restaurants including a Chinese foodie hotspot House of Ming, Michelin‑starred Indian restaurant Quilon and of course, afternoon tea on St James’ Courtyard.
In terms of famous faces, this London hotel has seen it all. In 1993, Diana Ross was honoured with a special award by the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful female music artist in chart history. If it’s good enough for music royalty, it’s certainly good enough for the real thing: over the years, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, King Charles and Lady Diana have all passed through, and figures such as Nelson Mandela and Donald Trump are also said to have paid this storied address a visit.
